Los Angeles Sees Rise In Hate Crimes, Including Religiously Motivated Incidents

According to an AP story yesterday, hate crimes rose significantly in Los Angeles County, California last year, even though the overall crime rate dropped. A majority of the hate crimes were racially motivated. However, 105 of the 763 hate crimes reported in 2007 were religiously motivated-- with three-quarters of these directed against Jews. This amounts to a 17% increase in religiously motivated hate crimes for the year. Some 111 hate crimes were based on sexual orientation, mostly directed against gay men. The full text of the 2007 Hate Crime Report compiled by the Los Angeles Human Relations Commission is available online.